Saturday, November 28, 2009

I was making a card for someone special who needs a little positive boost. She happens to *love* shoes! I really wanted to create a card with a shoe image. Of course I didn't have one! And I don't have any cutting machines either.

So I created one in Photoshop. I was then able to use some of my digi stash papers to create a shoe that was just perfect for her.

I then created a shoe box for the background which has been ripped open with tissue paper overflowing! Isn't that cute? I popped the open end of the shoe box as well as the shoe with foam dots.

Guess what? I'm sharing the template here with you! It is a layered .psd file. You can clip your own digital papers to change the heel, upper shoe and inside area of the shoe. Have fun creating and embellishing your shoes!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Thank you everyone for taking the time to participate in the Operation Write Home blog hop this weekend! Wasn't it fun to see all the amazing cards being made for our heroes? I really enjoyed all the energy and creativity that was shared. I'm going to continue to make cards to ship to our heroes every month. I hope that you too have been encouraged to help out in whatever way you can to support our troops.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

It's time for the Veteran's Day Bloghop at Operation Write Home! If you made it here by chance, you can still get in on all the fun from the start. Just jump over to theHomefront Blog. There you will find a list of all the bloggers participating. Be sure to hop around, there is so much talent, creativity and encouragement to be found! And some prizes, RAKS and blog candy too! If you've been hopping along, you came from Cindy's blog.

All this hopping has probably gotten your creative mojo running strong. So why not take some time to create a card... or two... or a dozen :) for a great cause. Operation Write Home (click that link for their web site) is a great organization that gives support to our armed forces through our creativity. OWH not only sends cards for the troops to use to write home, but also cards to encourage them and thank them for all they do for us. What better honor could one of your handcrafted cards serve than to encourage a hero? So come on, make a card... support a hero!

They are always in need of cards for general purposes, so that our troops can write home to say hi, I miss you, I'm thinking about you, as well as birthday cards. You can check the OWH website for deadlines for holiday cards too. Right now they are in need of Valentine cards. If you want to send in Valentine cards, they need to be completed by January 8 that gives you plenty of time to still get some made!

I've been busily creating some Valentines for them and will share a few with you here.

I've also got some general purpose cards ready to go with this batch as well.

And one more to share.....

OK - now it's time for even more sharing.... the RAK. All you have to do for a chance to win, is leave a comment on this post. That's it! I've got a RAK package that includes some craft supplies to help get you creating cards and even some mini albums too! You've got until 9am EST Monday November 16, 2009. Check back after that and I'll announce the random winner!

I am so lucky... I get to send you on to the final stop on the hop!! Follow this link to the OWH End of the Hop!

Friday, November 13, 2009

I'm so excited I can't wait! I'm busy getting ready for the Bloghop at Operation Write Home to celebrate Veterans Day and honor all the armed forces Heroes that serve our nation! The bloghop kicks off Saturday Nov 14. So be sure to stop back... there is a prize in it for you!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Ever have something jump out and get your creative mojo going? That happened today! I found this awesome scrapbook sketch and it just screamed out to me to be used for some more of Patrick's football photos. I'm really loving the whole blog Ideas for Scrapbookers. It was started by one of my favorite artists, Pam Callaghan. It is such a great place to find inspiration.

Like I did today!! I am normally one of the slowest scrappers, but this page came together in about an hour! OK, here is what I made with the sketch:

I edge punched paper that looks and feels like a football with the Fiskars Upper Crest punch. I used the negatives created when I punched that edge to highlight the center photo of Patrick. The other papers and journal spot are Bo Bunny. Felt footballs are Queen and Co. The felt star is craft supply. The alpha stickers are Colorbok.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Recently finished making this tin. I've decorated it with the Bo Bunny Flutter Butter line. Such great papers and the colors are so pretty. They are just right to blend with the decor where I envision this box sitting. Shhhhhhh..... This will be a present for someone very special on my Christmas list. I'm also making a bundle of greeting cards to fill it. This way they will have cards ready when they need them and stored neatly in a decorative tin. In side I've made tabbed dividers to help sort the cards by type. The dividers have places on them to keep track of special dates like anniversaries and birthdays.

I hope they will like this!

*****UPDATE*****

I've gotten some requests about how to make this, so I thought I'd share a few tips. I was so into this project that I didn't stop and take pics along the way. Kinda wish I had. Sorry all I can do is share some text and no progress photos.

I used a tin from Oriental Trading Company as the base for this. The hardware was not removable, so I wanted to cut the papers to go around them. I used regular printer paper (or other thin paper) and placed it on the tin, just holding it in place with my hand. Then I used a pencil to trace the pattern of the tin. I cut that out and made sure it lined up on the tin correctly. If you are using a different type of container, you might be able to remove any hardware and make it easier to create a template.

Then, using the template, I cut the patterned paper to fit the tin. I used my ATG Gun as adhesive for the papers.

To cover the lid rim, I used a piece of ribbon adhered with the ATG along the sides and with glue dots on the corners. You'll have to gather the ribbon to "bend" it around the corners. I then covered this with a thin strip of paper that I accordion crinkled. This strip was attached with a hot glue gun to help secure it.

Embellish the tin as you desire. I used papers and embellies from the Bo Bunny Flutter Butter line for a very coordinated look. I cut and combined some flourish cardstock stickers so they would flow the way I wanted them. I used DMC floss to stitch the buttons. The flowers and leaves are a mix of Bo Bunny, Prima and Petaloo. Gems are Bo Bunny, Making Memories and Creative Imaginations. Ribbons are American Crafts and craft supply.

The handle of the tin was a black plastic... not very pretty. So I covered it with ribbon strips that I looped and tied. Hope this helps you if you are making one. If you do - I'd love to see it, so please leave a comment to let me know!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Earlier this week was election day. Since the kids schools and hubby's work place are all polling places, they always have off. This was the first year in ages that I was able to spend the day with the family! If that was not exciting enough, I also got some time to scrap!!! Yippee!! It felt great to create! We spend that day off together hiking and letter boxing. Got some good photos. Hubby snapped this photo of me and the boys. Yes they are all getting really tall. I will soon have to look up (literally) to the two oldest!

My youngest was collecting leaves, pine cones and rocks along the hike. Do you remember in grade school making leaf impressions? Well I used that technique to create the background for the photo. I used the leaves and pin cone that he collected to paint images on the card stock. I really like the pattern that the pine cones created. And it was so fun to do! I think I'll have to use this again.

April is Autism Awareness Month. Let's always raise awareness!

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